Slip ring assembly



Oct. 16, 1962 HUBER 3,059,202

SLIP RING ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 11. 1960 FlG. l.

FIG. 4.

- INVENTOR; MORTIMER J. HUBER.

'Af'foRNEY 3,059,262 SLIP RING ASSEMBLY Mortimer J. Huber, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Motion Products Inc., St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 8,058 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-5) This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly deals with a rotating connector assembly for delivering an electrical current to a rotating object such as a tubular shaft or the like.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an electrical connector which will permit a quantity of electrical energy to be delivered from a source of electrical energy through an assembly of contact rings held in spaced relation by a plurality of insulator discs. Electrical conductors are attached to the inner surface of the rings and extend axially within the assembly and caxially into a hollow rotating shaft. The connector assembly is attached to one end of the shaft and rotates therewith. The rotating shaft, may for example, support on its opposite end an electrically energized neon sign or the like and may be rotated by a fractional horsepower motor or other motor means. Carbon contacts brusehs are held in proper relation within a brush housing to bear against the rotating contact rings. The brush housing is normally attached to a suitable support convenient to a source of electrical energy and adjacent the rotating connector assembly.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of of an electrical connector which is extremely simple in that the component parts may be economically massproduced and readily assembled by a non-professional electrician.

These and other objects and novel features will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through the connector assembly, portions of a rotating shaft shown broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the assembly.

FIGURE 3 is a plan View of the insulator separator discs employed within the assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the disc illustrated in FIGURE 3, the section being taken on line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of one of the contact rings showing the manner in which the electrical conductor is secured therein.

The assembly generally indicated by the letter A is perhaps best illustrated in FIGURE 1 and is shown attached to a rotatable hollow shaft B. The brushes, brush holder and electrical current source are generally indicated by the letter C.

The connector assembly A includes a pair of contact rings and 12 which are cylindrical having inner and outer angular surfaces 14 and 16 respectively. These rings are adapted to be held in spaced relation and coaxial with each other by two pairs of insulated separator discs which are numbered 18, 20, 22 and 24. Discs 18 and 20 form the holders for the ring 10 and discs 22 and 24 forming the holder for the ring 12.

The discs are formed of an insulating substance such as Bakelite or other phenolic resin and are identical in size and shape.

As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 the discs are provided with a series of annular flanges on each side of the disc. The flange 26 on one side of the disc lying in the same plane as the flange 28 on the opposite side of the disc. A further right angular annular flange 30 extends from the flange 28.

This series of flanges has a two-fold purpose. For example, the flange 28 of the disc 18 and the flange 26 of the disc 20 provide a bearing surface or a seat for the ring 10 as best shown in FIGURE 1. Likewise the flange 28 of the disc 22 and the flange 26 of the disc 24 provide a seat for the ring 12. The two sets of discs along with their respective seated rings are interlocked forming an assembly, the component parts all having a common axis. The flanges 28 and 30 of the disc 20 interfitting with the flange 26 of the disc 22 cause the assembly to be re tained in axial alignment.

The manner in which the parts are clamped together will now be described. Each of the discs is provided with three angularly spaced apertures: an axial bore 32 and bores 34 and 36 located on each side of the axial bore. The four discs 18, 20, 22, and 24 are held in alignment by a pair of insulator tubes 38 and 40 which extend through the bores 34 and 36. Threaded means such as the elongated thread-ed bolts 42 and 44 are inserted into the tubes and are threaded into bores 46 and 48 disposed into the lower end of the shaft B.

It will be understood that the shaft B and the attached assembly A will rotate about a common axis and at the same rate of speed.

The manner in which the electrical current is delivered to the shaft B will now be discussed.

Positive and negative brushes 50 and 52 are conventionally carried by an insulating holder such as the holder 54. They may be spring loaded so that a constant pressure will be maintained on the brushes assuring a total and adequate frictional contact with the contact rings 10 and 12. The brushes 50 and 52, their respective springs 56 and 58 and the heads 60 and 62 of the conductor bolts 64 and 66 are held in bores 68 and 70 within the housing 54.

Electrical current indicated at 72 enters the housing 54 through the bolts 64 and 66, is passed through the springs 56 and 58 to the brushes 50 and 52. The brushes being in constant contact with the contact rings will readily pass electrical energy to the rings.

As best seen in FIGURE 5 each ring is provided with an electrical conductor 74 which has one end 76 welded or otherwise secured to the inner annular wall 16 of the rings. The conductor 74 extends axially within the assembly A and through the internal bore 78 of the shaft B. The conductors may then be attached to a neon sign or the like which is carried by the rotating shaft B.

Referring again to the discs 18, 20, 22, and 24 it will be noted that all of the discs are identical. The flanges 26 and 28 lying in the same plane allow the rings to seat perfectly regardless of which way the disc is dis posed. The next in line disc will interfit with the abutting disc regardless of the disposition of the last exposed disc.

Thus the discs may be manufactured from a single mold and need not be marketed in sets or pairs.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in electrical connectors, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A rotating electrical connector assembly in combination with electrically energized brushes for use in the delivery of an electrical current to a rotating tubular shaft, said connector assembly including a pair of contact rings adapted to be held in spaced relation and to rotate on a common axis, two pair of insulating separator discs, each disc being identical having one right angular annular flange on one side thereof and two right angular annular flanges on the opposite side thereof, said discs being designed to hold said rings in spaced relation, said rings being interposed between said discs and in engagement with said flanges, the inner abutting discs of said assembly being interlocked by the engagement of the flange of one side of one disc by the two flanges of the adjacent disc, said discs and said rings rotating about a common axis, said discs having angularly spaced aligned aperture therethrough, insulating tubes extending through said apertures, threaded means extending through said tubes and being threaded into one end of the rotating tubular shaft for attaching said assembly thereto, and electrical conductors connected to the inner annular surface of said rings and extending axially Within said assembly to communicate with said rotating shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,376,370 Lombardi May 22, 1945 2,699,533 Harnett Jan. 11, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 317,313 Germany Dec. 17, 1919 607,438 Great Britain Aug. 31, 1948 

